Subsoiling vs Drainage: Fixing Wet Paddocks This Spring
As we move further into spring, decisions are being made about working land for cropping, as daytime and ground temperatures increase.
Described as being more capable and cost-effective, for the Ideal 8 and 9 models, removing all the blanking plates from the Helix processor and replacing them with finger separation grates, increases the total separation area by 27% on the 8 and 12% on the 9, alongside meaning that all four models in the range now share the same rotor configuration.
The Hi-Wear package for the feed area and feed drum is also new to the range, offering an extended service life of key wear components, with wear plates in the feed area upgraded from stainless steel to Hardox, alongside the front wear plate and bolt guard. An expanded Hi-Wear option adds a stainless-steel base plate for the crop elevator and hard-chromed augers throughout the machine.
Next season’s models also come with a redesigned mounting system for wear plates on the front rotor scrapers, incorporating new, self-locking nylon nuts and bolts, said to offer a more stable fixing, which withstands torque under demanding harvesting conditions without additional welding.
A new straw and chaff spreader kit uses two hydraulically driven centrifugal discs with spread width adjustment to distribute crop residues without shredding. The company notes that this configuration can be fitted in place of the straw chopper and spreader to help reduce unnecessary wear when working in maize.
Other updates include the new standard radiator for the MotionShift transmission to improve oil cooling performance to maintain optimum temperatures during long road journeys, or when operating on steep gradients.
Reflecting on the performance of Ideal machines during the 2026 harvest, a Fendt source says the new CyclonePlus cleaning system has performed well, featuring a redesigned pre-sieve with 1.0m² of concave area, 8% wider sieves and a revised airflow concept, cumulatively increasing cleaning capacity by around 25%.
Customers using the new cleaning system have reported improved grain quality, and lower losses across a wide range of settings. Meanwhile, an optional slope performance kit optimises crop distribution on the top sieve when harvesting on side slopes.
www.carrfields.co.nz
